How NRF’s Big Show Is Changing: AI Stage, Q&As & 40,000 Retail Pros

This year, NRF is turning the dial up on everything: AI, interactivity, speakers and scaling a 40,000‑person global audience.

In this episode, I sit down with Jill from NRF to unpack how the team is bringing the 2026 global theme “The Next Now” to life at the Big Show in the US – and why this could be one of the strongest speaker lineups yet.

We dig into how what’s next is already here for retail – from AI‑driven shopping journeys to a new generation of talent that expects to participate in content rather than sit through one‑to‑many lectures. Jill shares how NRF has re‑engineered parts of the show to serve that next generation without losing what long‑time attendees love.

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⏱️ Timestamps

00:00:00 – Intro: the Big Show is 38 days away

00:00:35 – Welcoming Jill back & post‑Thanksgiving catch‑up

00:00:56 – Why the show happens after Christmas & representing retailers

00:01:17 – Why this year’s speaker lineup feels different

00:01:37 – Theme “The Next Now” and the 2026 global framing

00:01:58 – One global theme, local flavors & 100+ countries at the Big Show

00:02:18 – AI, generative shopping engines & hockey‑stick tech change

00:02:40 – Next‑gen retail talent replacing the old guard

00:03:03 – What younger audiences want: conversation, not lectures

00:03:22 – Designing content for the up‑and‑coming generation

00:03:44 – Host reflection: last year’s opener & new‑world expectations

00:04:14 – The challenge of serving 4–5,000 people in one room

00:04:35 – You can’t please everyone, but you can make them learn

00:04:55 – What’s new #1: the dedicated AI Stage in the River Pavilion

00:05:17 – General AI vs generative AI content & expert roundtables

00:10:09 – Opening tradition: board chair interview & the 107th show

00:16:54 – 14 years of conversations and “see you in 38 days”

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#TheRetailPodcast #NRF

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello and welcome back to another fantastic and it is
special. I know every single show that I
do is special, but this is special because we're going to
get to talk about a show that's only 38 days away.
And that's right. It's the big show.
And who better, who better in this universe to talk to about
that show? Then Jill right after we get the

(00:23):
credits. Jill, hello, Welcome back from
Thanksgiving. Thank you so much hope hope you
got maybe a little time off overresponse.

(00:44):
It's gone way too long without seeing I was getting messages.
What's happened to your USA show?
Where's Jill? Where's Jill?
38 days. Thank you for the countdown.
I know 38 days. You know, everyone has like a
little calendar here. We're counting down and then we
all, we all take our break aftermuch, much like the retailers,

(01:05):
you are the best. We need to put you on our
podcast now. It is, you know, we, we really,
we like to represent the retailers and we can't have a
show before Christmas. Of course, you kind of have to
do it afterwards. So we are in the same, maybe not
same similar time frame in termsof like delaying all the
vacations and delaying all the, all the, you know, laying on a

(01:26):
beach until in January. But we are so excited this this
year. I don't know if we say this
every year, but this year feels like one of the best speaker
lineups we've ever had. And I'll explain why and I give
some teasers, but really the theme this year is one of my
favourites. It's the next now.
I love a word play. I love a word play.
And if any of your listeners also listen to you and I back in

(01:48):
Paris, we talked about the themethat's it's really it's a global
theme for 2026 for all. I noticed that yes.
And you know, at first it was like, well, that makes sense
from a marketing perspective. But what I love about it is we
have 1 theme globally, but everymarket is a little different.
So every market will take it to make it their own.
So for the US market, which of course we have many over over

(02:09):
100 countries usually come to the big show.
So in the US. So this year, the next now is
our theme. The word play means what's next
is already here is now. I mean, think about these
headlines we've seen you go from, you know, hearing about AI
maybe last year did it. Now people are doing, you know,
large percentages of shopping through AI generative, you know,

(02:30):
shopping engines like that happened quickly.
You know, it's just these hockeysticks.
So it's about keeping up and keeping pace or trying to keep
pace with technology moving so fast.
So that's kind of the one. And then the next now also means
really this next generation, thenext generation that is
replacing a lot of the workers that have been in the digit, you

(02:52):
know, the digital world, the e-commerce world.
A lot of those people are now, you know, lucky for them in the
retirement age and they're goingoff and they're doing other
things. And what that's getting replaced
placed with is this generation that doesn't like to get content
necessarily in the same ways that maybe, you know, the Gen

(03:12):
Xers and a little bit older did what a lot of them have told us.
And we've done, you know, focus groups.
We've done one on ones, we've done all sorts of, you know,
qualitative and quantitative research.
They like to take part in the content and have a conversation.
Well, that is wholly different than what we've done of 1 to
many for many, many years. So what we've tried, and I'm,

(03:32):
I'm leading the witness here so you can ask me what's new.
What we've tried to do is reallyfocus on that up and coming
generation and give them contentin a slightly different way
without disrupting everything we've built.
So yeah. I got you now.
It's fantastic. I am really curious what for you
are like the standout most different things in this year's
show. Sure.

(03:53):
No, it's a great question. And you're exactly right.
You have 54000, four 5000 peoplesitting in the audience.
Everyone wants something different.
Yeah, but nobody necessarily knows what they want.
They just know if they right, they just want to be there
hopefully, but it's, it's reallyinteresting because you can't,
you know, you're not going to please every single person, but
hopefully at the end of the day,they are learning.

(04:15):
That is really number one, whether whether or not you
thought going into that session you were going to learn
something, if you come out learning to me that is, you
know, ultimately a success for the retailers and the partners
in the room. So what's new this year and
what's the most exciting? Really, I'd want to highlight
kind of three main things. I'd be remiss if I didn't
mention AI, of course, can't go a few minutes.
So we have an entire AI stage. Now what that means is not that

(04:39):
all the other 8 stages we have don't have AI on it, but we have
1 stage that is only AI content.And we've really broken it out
into just general AI and then a gentic AI that to a lot of
people doesn't really have a bigdifference.
But to those in retail who are applying it at kind of that, you
know, next level it does. Or have to apply it at speed

(05:00):
right? At speed, right?
So there are sessions there. There are are round tables where
you can sit with, you know, kindof experts who are either at a
technology provider, they're independent, they're at
consulting firms, they all have different, you know, really
benefits that they can bring. So that's, that's a huge, huge
1. And that's up where the new
technology, the newest technology is up in the

(05:21):
innovation area. We also call it the River
Pavilion. So is that?
Is the River pavilion where yourAI stage is?
Exactly. Yep, that's where it is.
So all the way kind of up and inthe baffle is big windows,
beautiful. So go there #2 We're really
trying to have the interactivityof the audience and the
speakers. So we're adding speaker Q&A,

(05:43):
which is something we've never done.
Not necessarily on stage becauseagain, you only have 30 minutes.
It's not anything on stage, right?
I mean, that's like it goes by really quickly, hopefully.
But separately up on level 5 where the keynotes are right
outside the keynote room, not when keynotes are going.
Of course, we will have a separate stage where you can go

(06:03):
ask the speaker. So we're trying to do it where
it's right after their session so you can go over and ask the
speaker what you didn't get to ask in the room.
So if it's a panel, we're tryingto put the whole panel on there
if it's just one person. So we're trying to add that
element. And you know, we have those.
I think it's 12:50 every day of the show, Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday. The third thing is, you know, in

(06:24):
the rooms, we're trying also to use technology that is a little
more interactive. So whether it's voting on, you
know, when the speaker asks the question to the audience,
someone can vote, whether it's up voting a question or up
voting, you know, a topic so that they can pivot.
We're trying to have the speakers and the audience have a
little more interaction. That's not one too many.

(06:45):
Yeah. So we're trying a lot of new
things there. We're passing around, you know,
iPad tablets for ratings during the session.
So people don't forget. We're just we're trying to a lot
of new things. And we are always happy for
feedback and ways that people want to hear content.
So we'll continue to iterate on that.
It's a big thing to do with 40 more than 40,000 people.

(07:05):
We're gonna try. I mean, yeah, it's anyway, I'm
just thinking. That where is, I know what
you're gonna ask. We're aiming for over 40,000
like normal, aiming for over 100countries like normal.
And you know, usually around 1/3of those are international, 1/3
of the 40,000. So, you know, we're aiming, it
looks really good given all the economic uncertainty we had, you

(07:26):
know, all through the summer, wewere a little nervous about
visas. But it's, it's tracking really
well. And fingers crossed everyone can
come that wants to come. Yeah, and, and, and putting
aside that you've got 2 flagshipevents in Singapore and Paris
for the first, no, second and first.
Yeah, I, I think it's incredible.
I mean, listen, I as as a punter, as they would say in the

(07:47):
UK, I've been going for 15 yearsand I've got 222 people who work
for me going this year. And I've, and I've said to them,
if you like something, get there20 minutes early, right?
If you, if there is a talk you want to be in there, get in that
room. Otherwise you're going to be on
a pair of headphones sat outside.
Bigger thank you for introducingthat.

(08:07):
Where if you couldn't get into the room, you could at least go
and listen to it, which was frustrating but understandable.
Totally the overflow I know and it's, you know, the good and the
bad of the big show is it's big and we are out of room.
We've been out of room since they opened the new the N hall
five years ago. We're at we're still out of
room. I don't know.

(08:28):
It's a great problem to have it,you know, first world problems.
I understand, but it is it's frustrating.
So absolutely like. But I really, really I was that
was a lifesaver because I felt like some of the talks I just I
really for me was really important because maybe I had to
write, do a write up on it or take some insights away from it
and I couldn't get in the room. But anyway, so there isn't one.

(08:48):
But maybe in terms of focus areas, like where is some call
out apart from Ryan Gosling apart?
Like who are those like key speaking you're excited about or
maybe haven't done NRF before and it's their first time coming
to the show? That's no other all good ways to
look at it. We always start, it's, you know,
tradition. This is our 107th show.

(09:12):
We always start with our chairman of her award
interviewing someone or being interviewed.
So this year, obviously our chairman of the board is Bob
Eddy. He's chairman and CEO PJ's
Wholesale. He's actually going to be
interviewing someone. We've turned the tables, which
is Ed Stack, who was the founderand executive chairman of Dick's
Sporting Goods. And Bob actually sits on the

(09:33):
Dick's Sporting Goods board. So he knows he knows all the
secrets. So that's that's going to be a
great one to start off with. Followed right after with our
outgoing chairman of the board last year, John Ferner, recently
named new president and CEO of Walmart Global.
He is the sitting U.S. President and CEO until end of
January. But incredible.

(09:54):
He's interviewing Sundar Pichai,the founder of Alphabet, Google,
Yeah, all, all of the, all of the, all the things there.
So that is Sunday morning. We start off with Bob and then
we end the morning with John Ferner and in between?
Dramatics. Fanatics, we look, it is Michael

(10:16):
Rubin, right? Michael Rubin has, he's a
genius. He has done unbelievably well in
everything he's done. But Fanatics is a story of just
utter entrepreneurship. So he's going to be on stage and
he does not speak a lot. So this was a huge, huge gap for
our team and we're we couldn't be more excited.
I'd love to because they're expanding over to Europe, so I'm

(10:37):
really excited seeing what he looks.
Like, no, it'll be it'll be wonderful.
I mean, we have all sort all sorts of another, another.
I don't know. I don't know the person is
you've always wanted to get likeanother wish list person is Fran
Horowitz. She's the CEO of Abercrombie and
Fitch. Yep, he is an absolute.
Nothing exemplifies more of a leader than what she has done.

(10:59):
You know, a year or so, a quick turn around.
It hasn't been, she's been therefor more than a decade.
She typically just focuses on the business and it's not on the
speaking circuit. And we are honouring her this
year as from our NRF Foundation as the visionary, the retail
visionary of the year. So she has agreed to also come
and speak. And so she'll be speaking with

(11:19):
Matt Shea, our boss, our CEO here at NRF on stage Monday
morning. So that is, that is an
incredible, incredible win. Following up, you know some
other, you name a brand, I feel like they're on Settle.
There. So many good winners this year.
It's not just they're not just there, their executives are
there. And I think that's the other key
point why people come to NRF is to meet those exec me listen to.

(11:43):
Have them walk the floor and getto meet them and not just had to
be an in and out. I mean, that's something we we
strive for, you know. And this year we're also, I'm
pushing the envelope a little bit with content.
So we have Gary Vee. Don't know if you know, I'm Gary
Vee. Yeah.
OK, Gary's. Coming so.
Gary, you're raised right. So he's.
He's brilliant, he's phenomenal,but he is not always in the box.

(12:04):
He's not always G rated. So look, but I think the
industry responds to a little bit of like you have to hear
this now and these are, they're not platitudes right there.
It's not a press release. It is, It is.
Sometimes it's hard facts and it's hard to hear and sometimes
it's scary to hear. So we have Gary Vee starting off
Tuesday morning and then we'll end the day with Jason Goldberg,

(12:27):
who is one of our NRF darlings, talking about what does the
future hold, both from an AI perspective, but also more of a
global perspective. So it's really, really some
great content coming your way. It's such an understatement.
You've got Ben Francis, for God's sake, who's the founder of
Jim Shark? Every teenage.

(12:48):
And Emma Greed from Good American.
I mean, talk about powerhouses. Harley.
Harley really brings some of hisbest when he was on stage, Yeah.
It's very, very cool. OK, So listen, we're coming to
towards the end, yes, you've got2 visitors who come to NRF, long
standing grey haired old women, not grey people who have been in

(13:11):
the industry a while. And then you've got the fresh,
you've got young people like forme, I'm bringing people who've
never been to NRF with me and this is their first.
They're in their 20s actually, right.
And so I'm just really curious how you think about, you know,
fresh people that are coming forthe first time.
What should they know and watch?How should they prepare?
And then for the for the. We'll call them the Stalwarts.

(13:36):
Yes, Yes. Not, not old.
Not old exactly. How should they prepare for this
year's? I'm just curious in your
thoughts. No, they're great questions.
I mean, two things for both groups.
One and honestly the most important, wear comfortable
shoes. Just wear trainers or sneakers.
It is not it is cement. It is a lot of walking.

(13:57):
It is miles, miles and miles of walking.
So please, you know, go support your local Steve Madden or Nike
or Adidas or any any and buy some comfortable could not be
more important. Number 2 is plan show.
You will inevitably find 6 million people you know walking
in between. It is essentially a 20 minute

(14:18):
walk from one end to the other without interruptions.
Yeah. Well, if you so plan your
agenda, you can go on obviously to our website in the coming
days, hopefully days, we will have a schedule builder where
you can put in some of your interests.
So let's say it's Omni channel and AI and you know, digital and
it will kind of build out a schedule for you and help you

(14:39):
deconflict and hopefully you won't wind up going back and
forth and back and forth 100 times a day.
So that's one way is really planyour attack.
Make the meetings ahead of time.The app is really good for
connecting with people you want directly.
So plan out your day just like you would at work and leave
yourself a little extra time, but plan for all the happy
hours, plan for all the networking events.

(15:00):
If you're into Joe Jonas, which I am, my kids stay at the Grinch
to be into him. But I love him so much.
There's a concert Monday night and you can get access once you
buy your All Access ticket. So there's all sorts of fun
things to do. But it is exhausting, I know.
But go in with the plan of thosethree days of just being
networking, trying to meet new people.

(15:21):
You never know who you're going to meet.
Partnerships are born out of farless than the big shows.
So give yourself those three days to really have no
distractions and just be presentand be there.
And at the end of the day, you know, you will come away
learning, you'll come away with friends, you'll come away with
valuable colleagues, and hopefully you will come away
just, you know, a little bit smarter to go back to your

(15:43):
business. 100% one, 100% you'll,you'll lead with something.
It's always a pleasure and it has been 14 years.
So anyway, yo, thank you so muchand I look forward to speaking
to you next time on the show. Sounds great and everyone else
will see you in 38 days. 38 daysbye bye.